Liquid movement and control within a rotatable container for food preparation

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for controlling the movement of liquids into and out of a container is described. The cleanable, portable, fully automated apparatus includes a main container for holding the food product, a liquid inlet container having a liquid inlet and inlet valve for controllably providing liquid into the main container and a liquid outlet container receiving liquid drained from the main container. A heater automatically heats the main container and a motor rotates or otherwise moves the main container and a receiving position for receiving fresh liquid from the inlet container to a drainage position for draining waste liquid via gravity from the main container into the outlet container. This rotation/movement of the main container can be used repeatedly to add fresh liquid and remove waste liquid during multiple fully automated cycles (e.g., sprouting, rinsing, soaking, cooking, etc.) that do not require user interaction.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/370,466, entitled “Liquid Movement and Control within a Container forFood Preparation,” filed Aug. 4, 2010, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains in general to a container for controllingmovement of liquids, and more specifically to an apparatus for preparingand cooking food products using a rotatable container.

2. Description of the Related Art

While many kitchen tasks have been automated, there are still some unmetneeds that have long been a problem in the householdfood-preparation/cooking world. For example, preparing and cooking drybeans is a notoriously laborious process that can requires hours, if notdays, and includes many steps requiring the cook's presence. Dry,unprocessed beans must often first be rinsed and then soaked in freshliquid, and the soaking can commonly take hours (e.g., 4 to 8 hours orovernight; soybeans may require soaking 12 hours or more). Commonly, thesoaking water is then drained and the beans are then cooked in freshwater (often in a pot on the stove for e.g., 1 to 2 hours). Since saltcan affect the cooking, addition of salt can be at controlled times inthe cooking process. Further, some users prefer to first sprout thebeans to increase the health benefit and nutritional value of beans. Tosprout dry beans, the cook typically lays the dry beans out in acontainer with enough water to keep them moist and carefully monitorsthe water level to avoid drying out or over soaking. Typically, thebeans sit for 3 or 4 days, with temperature and lighting conditionsmonitored to ensure proper sprouting. Thus, multiple labor-intensivesteps for cooking and/or sprouting that require the user to return tothe kitchen and take action, all the while carefully managing thetemperature and environment of the beans.

Currently, there is no device that can perform all or even most of thesesprouting/preparation/cooking steps in an automated fashion. Crock potsor slow cookers, rice cookers, and bread machines are popular kitchenappliances for having the ability to allow a user to insert the uncookedfood in the pot early in the day and return to a fully-cooked meal atthe end of the day. Yet these machines cannot automatically prepare orcook foods that require movement into and out of fresh liquids, or thatotherwise require a controlled movement associated with liquids. Whilethere are a few commercial cookers used by restaurants for cooking beansin large quantities, none of these devices are helpful to the typicalconsumer in the average household who wishes to prepare a meal involvingdry, unprocessed beans or other cooking processes requiring freshliquids (e.g., they are too large, heavy, complicated, labor-intensive,and/or are not suitable for home use, portable or easily cleanable withstandard home washing equipment, etc.).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus and method for moving a liquid to and from a main containerthat can be used for cooking food products is disclosed. The apparatuscombines the processes of hydration and cooking of food products intoone compact main container. A liquid inlet container associated with themain container stores fresh liquid, and has a liquid inlet forcontrollably providing liquid into the main container with the foodproduct, which is automatically regulated by an inlet valve connected tothe liquid inlet. The main container includes a liquid inlet/outletopening for controllably receiving liquid into the main container whenthe main container is in a receiving position and for controllablydraining liquid from the main container without removing the foodproduct when the main container is in a drainage position. A liquidoutlet container receives liquid drained from the main container. Amotor associated with the main container moves the main container fromthe receiving position for receiving liquid to the drainage position fordraining liquid via gravity from the main container into the liquidoutlet container. A heater associated with the main containerautomatically heats the food product and the liquid in the maincontainer.

The method is an automated method for preparing a food product in aportable apparatus. The method includes the step of receiving the foodproduct into the main container of the portable apparatus and receivingone or more settings input by a user. The method also includes rotatingthe main container into a receiving position at which the main containeris positioned to receive liquid from a liquid inlet container, andopening an inlet valve connected to the liquid inlet container forcontrollably providing a controlled amount of liquid into the maincontainer with the food product. The method further includes rotatingthe main container to a neutral position, and applying heat to the foodproduct and liquid in the main container for preparing (e.g., sprouting,rinsing, soaking, cooking, etc.) the food product. In addition, themethod includes rotating the main container into a drainage position atwhich the main container is positioned to drain liquid from the maincontainer into a liquid inlet container, and draining the liquid fromthe main container into a liquid outlet container.

The features and advantages described in this disclosure and in thefollowing detailed description are not all-inclusive, and particularly,many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the relevant art in view of the drawings,specification, and claims hereof. Moreover, it should be noted that thelanguage used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selectedto delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter, resort to theclaims being necessary to determine such inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a side view of the liquid movement and control apparatuswith the liquid inlet and outlet containers, according to embodiments ofthe invention.

FIG. 1 b is a side view of another embodiment of the liquid movement andcontrol apparatus with the liquid inlet and outlet containers, accordingto embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 c is a front view of another embodiment of the liquid movementand control apparatus, according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the liquid movement and control apparatuswithout the liquid inlet or outlet containers, according to embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 3 a is a side view of the components container and heater of theapparatus, according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 b is a rear view of the liquid movement and control apparatuswithout the liquid inlet or outlet containers and with a cradle-lesssupport, according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 c is a side view of the liquid outlet container with adouble-bladder design, according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 d is a side view of the liquid outlet container with asingle-bladder design, according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the liquid movement and control apparatus inthe receiving position with the liquid inlet container, according toembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the liquid movement and control apparatus inthe drainage/dump position with the liquid outlet container (outercontainer not shown), according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the liquid movement and control apparatus withthe main container being positioned into the cradle (outer container notshown), according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the liquid movement and control apparatus withthe main container in the cradle and with the stabilizer holding itagainst the heater (outer container not shown), according to embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 8 includes a side view of the main container lid with a singlespice hatch (8 a), a rear view of the main container lid with two spicehatches (8 b), a side view of the spice hatch release (8 c), and a sideview of the spice hatch after release (8 d), according to embodiments ofthe invention.

FIG. 9 includes a side view of the liquid inlet/outlet with a closedinlet/outlet valve on the inside of the main container (9 a), a sideview of the liquid inlet/outlet with an open inlet/outlet valve on theinside of the main container (9 b), a side view of the liquidinlet/outlet with a closed inlet/outlet valve on the outside of the maincontainer (9 c), a side view of the liquid inlet/outlet with a openinlet/outlet valve on the outside of the main container (9 d), and aside view of the inlet/outlet valve being opened by a structure on theouter container (9 e).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating steps performed for the user methodof operating the apparatus, according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating steps performed for operating theapparatus for cooking, according to embodiments of the invention.

The figures depict embodiments of the invention for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following description that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION I. Apparatus

A. Overview

FIG. 1 a illustrates apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of theinvention. Similarly, FIG. 1 b illustrates apparatus 100 b according toan embodiment of the invention and FIG. 1 c illustrates apparatus 100 caccording to an embodiment of the invention. Some embodiments of theapparatus 100, 100 b, and/or 100 c have different and/or additionalcomponents than those shown in FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, and the otherfigures. Likewise, the functionalities can be distributed among thecomponents in a manner different than described herein. Certaincomponents and functions can be incorporated into other components of orassociated with the apparatus. When describing the embodiments of theinvention below, the examples frequently focus on food products, such asbeans and rice, though these examples are meant for illustration only,and the invention is not limited to use with any particular food productor item. In some embodiments, a “food product” means any product meantfor human consumption, including ingestion or inhalation. Similarly,where the word “apparatus” is used, it can refer to any of theapparatuses described herein (e.g. in all figures). For clarity, thecomponents of FIG. 1 b that correspond to the components of FIG. 1 a aregiven the same reference number, but with a letter “b” added to the end(e.g., main container 110 in FIG. 1 a is referred to as main container110 b in FIG. 1 b). For clarity, the components of FIG. 1 c thatcorrespond to the components of FIG. 1 a are given the same referencenumber, but with a letter “c” added to the end. The description of thecomponents of FIG. 1 a throughout generally apply to each of thecorresponding components in FIGS. 1 b and 1 c, as these embodiments cangenerally function similarly.

Referring now to the invention in more detail, in FIG. 1 a, there isshown the apparatus 100 with an outer container 137, a main container110 (having a liquid inlet/outlet 111), a liquid inlet container 134(having a liquid inlet 115), and a liquid outlet container 132. Theouter container 137 is a chassis or other covering for variouscomponents of the apparatus 100, including the main container 110. Inbrief summary, the main container 110 can be opened via the lid 105 toallow the user to insert food inside, such as dry beans (the outercontainer 137 can also having a lid or other access method to allow theuser to access the main container 110). The user adds fresh liquid(e.g., clean water from a tap) to the liquid inlet container 134. Themain container 110 is designed to rotate within the outer container 137to line up the liquid inlet 115 with the liquid inlet/outlet 111 toreceive fresh liquid from the liquid inlet container 134, and to line upthe liquid outlet 115 with the opening 150 of the liquid outletcontainer 132 to deliver waste or used liquid into the liquid outletcontainer 132. This rotation can be used repeatedly to add fresh liquidinto the main container 110 to rinse, soak, cook, etc. the food in thecontainer 110, and then to dump the used liquid into the liquid outletcontainer 132. The heater 131 heats the main container 110, and the foodand liquid inside, for cooking and other processes requiring heat. Thecomponents of the apparatus 100 are each described in more detail below.

The liquid inlet container 134 and liquid outlet container 132 are shownas containers with spouts 113, 117 and handles 115, 116. However, otherdesigns are also possible. For example, the handles 115, 116 could bepositioned elsewhere on the device (e.g., on the top), the handle canhave different shapes, or there can be no handle. As another example,the spouts 113, 117 could be positioned elsewhere or there may be nospout. Similarly, the two containers 132, 134 can be differently shaped,can include lids, can include no or multiple handles/spouts, the can belarger or smaller, they can be reservoirs of liquid sitting within theouter container 137, and so forth. The containers 132, 134 can also bemade of a variety of materials, including metal, plastic, glass,ceramic, among others, or a combination of these. The containers 123,134 can be designed to hold any sort of liquid, including water, juice,sauces, among others. The liquid inlet container 134 typically containsfresh liquid (e.g., fresh water from the tap or other water source) thatwill be released into the main container 110 for soaking, cooking,cleaning, etc, and the liquid outlet container 132 containsdump/drainage or non-fresh liquid drained from the main container 110.One or both of the containers 132, 134 can further be housed within alarger outer container 137 or can otherwise snap into or attach to theouter container 137. In some embodiments, one or both of the containers132, 134 are removable from or detachably connected to the container137. As one example, the liquid outlet container 132 might be removablefor cleaning and also can be filled with fresh liquid that it can thenbe used to transfer into a non-removable fresh liquid inlet container134. The user can fill the inlet container 134 according to instructionsfor different meals, based on markings inside the inlet or outletcontainers 134, 132, etc.

One or both of the liquid inlet container 134 and the liquid outletcontainer 132 can be positioned in various ways relative to the outercontainer 137 and main container 110 (e.g., to the side of the maincontainer 110, not in contact with the main container 110, wrappedaround the main container to make the apparatus more compact and with alower center of gravity, etc.). In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3c, the apparatus 100 has a double-bladder design with two or morebladders (e.g. flexible bag, membrane, or moveable partition). In thisdesign, the liquid outlet container 132 is shown as one bladder and theliquid inlet container 134 is shown as another bladder, both containedwithin the same space 350. The liquid inlet container 134 bladderinitially takes up most of the space 350 since it is filled with freshliquid. As the clean liquid is drained from the bladder 134, the bladder134 shrinks and the space 350 is filled with the bladder 132 as thebladder 132 is filled with waste liquid. The bladders can be positionedwith one on top of the other, side by side, etc. In an embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3 d, the apparatus has a single bladder design withone bladder. The single bladder can be an inlet container 134 and thespace 350 shown in FIG. 3 c can instead act as the liquid outletcontainer 132. The bladder 134 is initially filled with fresh liquid andtakes up most of the outlet container 132 space. As the fresh liquid isused from the bladder 134, the waste liquid is dumped around the bladder134 into the outlet container 132, taking up the space made available byremoving fresh liquid from bladder 134. Similarly, the positions couldbe reversed to the bladder is the outlet container 132 and the spacearound the bladder is the inlet container 134. The bladder designs allowthe apparatus 100 to be smaller in overall volume, as thesize-adjustable container(s) allow sum of the volumes of the inlet andoutlet containers at any given time to be substantially smaller than thesum of the maximum possible volumes of the individual inlet and outletcontainers. As liquid is removed from the inlet container, the volumeformerly occupied by that removed liquid becomes available for holdingadditional liquid in the outlet container. The bladder designs of FIGS.3 c, 3 d can be located below, next to, around, or above the apparatus100.

The liquid inlet 115 of the liquid inlet container 134 can be designedin various manners, in various shapes, pointed in different directions,in different lengths, etc., or there may be simply an opening at thebottom of the container 134 that acts as the liquid inlet 115. In someembodiments, one or both of the liquid inlet container 134 and theliquid outlet container 132 are not present in the apparatus 100, andinstead the apparatus 100 is connected directly to a water source (e.g.,a water faucet or home water pipe) and is connected directly to a waterdisposal (e.g., a kitchen drain or hose, a kitchen pipe, resting in asink, attached to a temporary container or removable bottle, etc.).

The outer container 137 houses the main container 110 inside whichincludes a liquid inlet/outlet 111. The main container 110 is designedsimilar to a teapot in FIG. 1 a, with a spout, and can also include ahandle in some embodiments. Though other shapes and arrangements arealso possible, such as a square container with a liquid inlet/outlet 111on top, a pouring structure similar to containers 132, 134, a containerwith a drain outlet 111 at the bottom, and so forth. Similarly, theliquid inlet/outlet 111 can be designed in various manners, in variousshapes, pointed in different directions, in different lengths, etc., orthere may be simply an opening in the container 110 that acts as theliquid inlet/outlet 111. In some embodiments, the liquid inlet/outlet111 is two separate structures or inlet/outlets that can be located nextto each other or at different positions on the main container 110, whereone of the inlet/outlets receives liquid into the container 110 and theother of the inlet/outlets drains the liquid. The main container 110rests in a cradle 102 on top of a heater 131. These are described inmore detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. While the heater 131 is shown beneath themain container 110, it can otherwise be positioned inside the outercontainer 137 relative to the main container 110. For example, it can bepositioned above, surrounding, or to the side of the main container 110,and does not have to be directly in contact with or attached to the maincontainer 110. In some embodiments, there is more than one heater 131inside the outer container 137 to provide heat to the main container110. In other embodiments, the heater 131 is not located in a cradle102, but is contacting the side of main container 110 when the maincontainer 110 requires heating or is in a cooking or neutral position.In some embodiments, the cradle 102 contains a thermally conductiveregion contacting the heater 131 and conducting heat to the maincontainer 110.

Inside the main container 110 is a food product and a liquid. The foodproduct can be any type of food product that might require preparationand/or cooking, such as rice, beans, cereals, grains, vegetables,fruits, among others. In some embodiments, the food product includesonly solid food products, where the solid food product cooked in themain container is consumed by a user. The liquid can be any type ofliquid that might be used in the preparation and/or cooking of the foodproduct, such as water, juice, sauces, among others. The food productcan be immersed in the liquid, and the liquid can be at other levelsrelative to the food product, depending on the process being conductedby the apparatus 100. For example, where the food product is beans, theliquid can be at a lower level (e.g., not covering any of the beans oronly covering some of the beans) for sprouting, though the liquid may beat a higher level (e.g. covering most or all of the beans) duringsoaking or cooking.

The liquid inlet container 134 has a liquid inlet 115 attached to itthrough which liquid can pass from the container 134. The tip 119 of theliquid inlet 115 is positioned adjacent to the main container 110. Themain container 110 also has a liquid inlet/outlet 111 or spout throughwhich liquid can exit or enter the main container 110. In someembodiments, the liquid inlet 115 and inlet/outlet 111 are designed tosnap or otherwise fit together with the liquid inlet/outlet 111 of themain container during liquid transfer.

The outer container 137 and the main container 110 can be made of avariety of different. For example, the containers 110, 137 can bedesigned out of metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, among others, or acombination of these. The material used for the main container 110 canbe a thermally conductive material for conduction of heat to the foodproduct and liquid inside the container 110. In some embodiments, all orpart of the main container 110 includes one or more surface treatmentsor coatings, such as a non-stick coating for easy removal of foodproduct inside and easy cleaning. The main container 110 can also beremovable or detachable from the apparatus 100 for separate cleaning orto be used as a serving container to be set on a tabletop or counter forserving the food product. The outer container 137 and/or main container110 can further be designed to resist pressure and temperatures in therange of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 psi over the existing atmosphericpressure. At 15 psi (107 kPa) pressure boost relative to sea-levelatmospheric pressure, for example, water boils at 122° C. (252° F.) andcooking times are reduced up to 70% while preserving nutrients andcoloration of food to be cooked. The outer container 137 and/or maincontainer 110 can also be designed to resist the escape of liquids andof gases (other than through a gas outlet or other gas release mechanismin one or both containers 110, 137). One or both of the containers 110,137 can include an openable and closable lid or other cover, such as lid105 of main container 110. The lid can include a seal to preventundesired fluid escape. The lid can be a lock-top lid, hinged lidpossibly with lock or latch, or other design. In some embodiments, theouter container 137 is a stand or other body that that connects andholds up container 110, 132, 134, without actually covering or fullycovering any of them.

The outer container 137 and main container 110 can also be designed invarious sizes. The size dimensions can include the largest dimensions(for example width, height, length, or diameter) of 75 cm, 60 cm, 50 cm,40 cm, 30 cm, 20 cm, 15 cm, 10 cm, 5 cm, or larger or smaller asappropriate. The main container 110 can be designed to hold a specifiedamount of content, such as 2 cups, 4 cups, 8 cups, 10 cups 15 cups, 20cups, 30 cups, or larger or smaller as appropriate. It can be designedto hold a specified number of servings of food, including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30 or more or fewer servings as appropriate. In somecases, the main container 110 can simultaneously hold a specified amountof food product (e.g., at least one portion, such as 50 mL), and aspecified amount of liquid (e.g., 3-5 times the amount of food, such as150-250 mL or more). In some embodiments, the liquid inlet container134, liquid outlet container 132, and main container 110 have a maximumvolume of at least 0.5, 1, 2, 3, or 4 liters, and in some cases thevolumes are less than 10 liters. In many cases, food product, willexpand when soaked. For example, beans may expand to 2-3 times theiroriginal weight or size when soaked, so the amount of soaking water canbe controlled correspondingly, e.g., from 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4,4.5, 5, 5.5, or 6 times the amount of dry beans or ingredients. Inmultiple rounds of soaking, the amount of liquid added may be adjustedfor the amount of the amount of expansion of the food, e.g. the amountof liquid added will be adjusted for the amount liquid already absorbed.The main container 110 can also include markings for measuring anappropriate amount of food product and/or liquid to add to thecontainer. In many embodiments, the main container sizing will beincreased by an appropriate amount to allow for measurement error, tocontain overflow, etc., for example 1%, 2%, 4%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%or other percentage or fixed size (e.g. a fixed size of the specified %larger than the mentioned sizes) larger than the maximum recommendedfill level 110 (FIG. 5) for food and liquid contents.

In one embodiment in which a 450 g (one pound) bag of dry beans equalsabout 6-8 portions of cooked beans (e.g., 3-4 cans of beans), and waterwill cover the beans by about 5 cm, which for 500 g of dry beanscorresponds to a maximum of 12 dL of water (depending on container 110shape). The same measurements apply for cooking water as with soakingwater for beans (e.g., 12 dL cooking water). For rinsing of the beans(before or after soaking or cooking) or rinsing of the main container,about 6 dL of water can be used. These measurements produceapproximately 6-8 portions of cooked beans. Thus, the container 134holds about 3 L, the main container 110 holds about 2 L, and thecontainer 132 holds about 1 L in this embodiment. In some embodiments,for the simplest design, the user can use the same amount of water nomatter what type of food product and how much of the food is added. Thesimplest approach is to soak and cook in the maximum amount of water toremove the need to measure out specific amounts of soaking and cookingwater. In some embodiments, temperature measurement is performed onlyfor safety (to prevent boiling off all water, burning etc.). Byadjusting the size and power of the heating element 131 to create along-term simmer for the maximum amount of water and food, the need forcooking regulation of temperature is removed. In some embodiments, theapparatus is configured for rinsing the food product with liquid beforesoaking/cooking. In other embodiments, the user rinses the food productand the apparatus is configured to heat the food product when initiallystarted in order to dry it.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1 a, the liquid inlet/outlet 111 is protectedby an outlet cover 118 that allows liquid to pass through withoutallowing larger particles (e.g., particles of food product) to passthrough and into the liquid inlet/outlet 111. The outlet cover 118 cantake on a number of forms or designs. For example, in one embodiment,the outlet cover 118 is a mesh, sieve, grid, or other filter that canprevent passage of most food particles while allowing the passage ofliquid. The outlet cover 118 can contain a number of openings to allowpassage of the liquid that can be sized according to use of theapparatus 100. For example, the openings of the outlet cover 118 can be,e.g. 0.01, 0.45, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 mm in diameter/crosssection or larger or smaller as appropriate. In some cases, smalleropenings or filtration may be appropriate, for example retainingparticles above 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 6 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100, 200, or 500microns or larger or smaller. In one embodiment, the outlet cover 118 isa very fine mesh that allows only liquid pass through into the liquidinlet/outlet 111 and prevents passage of food particles above a certainsize (e.g., appropriate ranges as provided above). In anotherembodiment, the outlet cover is a mesh or perforated cover that preventslarger, substantially whole food particles from passing, but allowssmaller solid waste material, such as small stones or grit, sand, andother impurities to pass through to achieve retention of food withelimination of waste material.

The outlet cover 118 can be detachable, removable, or otherwise separatefrom the main container 110 to allow for changing between differentoutlet covers or to facilitate separate cleaning. The outlet cover 118can be flat, concave, convex, conical or semi-conical, cylindrical(e.g., oblique-, trapezoidal-, or elliptic-cylindrical), semi-spherical,symmetrical or irregular, a section and/or combination of these shapes.In some embodiments the outlet cover 118 is raised, moved, rotated, orlowered in order to increase the surface area of the cover and/or tolessen clogging of the spout/drain. In some embodiments, the outletcover 118 has few or no holes, and is raised, rotated, lowered, orotherwise moved to form an opening of sufficient size to retaindesirable particles in the main container 110 while allowing othersmaller or differently-shaped particles to drain from the main container110. In some embodiments, the rate of draining is regulated to retaindesired particles or remove undesired particles. In some embodiments, aslow rate of draining is used to limit the movement or removal of foodparticles.

In the FIG. 1 a, the apparatus 100 includes valves to control liquidflow. The liquid inlet 115 has a liquid inlet valve 114, and the liquidinlet/outlet 111 has a liquid inlet/outlet valve 112. In someembodiments, only one of valves 112, 114 is present. The valves 112, 114can be designed in various manners. For example, the valves 112, 114 canbe designed out of metal, plastic, silicone, rubber, polymer, glass,graphite or composite materials, alloys, or combinations of these, amongothers. The size dimensions of the valves 112, 114 can be typically20×40×80 mm, but this can vary depending on the desired embodiment'sapplication. The two valves 112, 114 may be both designed in the samemanner or may be designed differently for different functions (e.g.,including different sizes, materials, etc.). Valve 114 and inlet 115 canbe sufficiently large in this embodiment to allow throughput of liquidinto the main container 110 in 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 minutes orless.

The valves 112, 114 can take a variety of forms in different embodimentsof the invention. In one embodiment, one or both of the valves 112, 114is a cam shaft valve with a wheel that rotates into the pathway of theinlet 115 and inlet/outlet 111. In another embodiment, one or both ofthe valves 112, 114 is a ball valve, including a ball attached to inlet115 and inlet/outlet 111, where the ball includes an opening and theball can be rotated so that the opening is in line with the opening ofthe inlet/outlet (e.g., open configuration, to drain liquid) or theopening is out of line with the opening of the inlet/outlet (e.g.,closed configuration, to prevent drainage of liquid). In anotherembodiment, one or both of the valves 112, 114 is designed withcomponents on either side of the inlet 115 and/or inlet/outlet 111 topinch a component in the inlet/outlet closed, or removing pinching toallow the inlet 115 and/or inlet/outlet 111 to be open. In someembodiments, one or both of the valves, or other valves in theinvention, includes ball valves, reversible or other flap valves, pistonvalves, rotary valves, butterfly valves, multi-port valves, non-returnor one-way valves, check valves, pumps, etc. In a further embodiment,one or both of the valves 112, 114 are designed with a flap restingagainst or within the inlet 115, inlet/outlet 111 that opens or closesthe inlet 115 and/or inlet/outlet 111. The flap can be similar to areversible flap valve or flap valve (e.g. toilet-bowel-flap-like) thatpushes upward to close the tube. Similarly, the flap can be designed tobe in a default closed state that then opens when liquid comes through.The valves 112, 114 can also be multi-port valves having more than oneopening that allow liquid to pass into and/or out of the valve. Theinlet 115 and inlet/outlet 111 can also be designed to be default stateclosed with a mechanism (valves 112, 114) that mechanically causes theinlet 115 and/or inlet/outlet 111 to open for flushing of liquid. Insome embodiments, the valves 112, 114 can be used to regulate pressureinside the main container 110.

In some embodiments, the term “valve” can also include or mean a pumpthat moves the liquid by creating pressure. Thus, one or both of thevalves 112, 114 can be a pump system that pumps liquid into or out ofthe main container 110. In some cases, a “valve” such as a liquid inletvalve can comprise a heat-driven pumping system with heater and valve,such as in a home drip coffee pot, and this liquid inlet valve may beused to push liquid from the inlet container 134, possibly controllablypre-heating the water leaving the liquid inlet container. In some cases,steam or other pressure will be used to push liquid into the outlettube. Generally throughout this specification the term valve includes apump, a valve, or a combination of these. For example, one of “valves”112, 114 can be a pump, and the other a valve, even though both aregenerally called valves herein. In some embodiments, the valves 112, 114can be designed to be non-backflow valves.

In some embodiments, the valve 112 at the inlet/outlet 111 is designedas a flap or other mechanism that covers the opening to the inlet/outlet111 from the inside of the main container 110. In these embodiments, thevalve 112 can function also as a gas outlet that allows gas to exit fromthe main container 110 and can keep gas inside the main container 110 tospeed up the cooking process. The gas exiting the main container 110 maybe steam created from the heating of the liquid in the main container110. The valve 112 can be designed to be openable or closeable by theuser, by a controller, via the pressure of liquid on the valve, viagravity, etc.

The liquid inlet 115 can be an open tube, but may also be asingle-nozzle or multi-nozzle sprayer, mister, liquid atomizer, or othermeans to evenly or directionally distribute, spray, mist, and/orotherwise control the form of the liquid and location within the maincontainer 110 where the liquid is delivered. For example, the inlet 115can include a mister or sprayer to evenly spray or mist the bottom,walls, or surface of contents of the main container 110. In someembodiments, the inlet 115 can regulate the rate of delivery of liquidto the main container. For example, inlet for liquid can be designed tofacilitate cleaning of the surface(s) of the main container 110, tofacilitate sprouting, self-cleaning, to reduce or control foam,distribution of the food, to minimize splashing of the materials alreadyin the container 110, to maintain a controlled temperature environmentin the main chamber by regulating the rate of liquid delivery inconjunction with heating or cooling of the chamber, etc. Liquid can alsobe delivered from multiple locations, at a controlled rate, and/orthrough one or more nozzles. For example, part of the inner wall of thelid could be perforated, like a shower head, so the water can drop onmuch of the inner area of the pot.

In some embodiments, the valve 112 is a pressure release valve, and isdesigned to allow the apparatus 100 to function as a pressure cooker. Inthis case, the main container 110 can be a pressure vessel for cookingfood products at a specified temperature (e.g., above 100° C.) and at anelevated pressure above atmospheric pressure. In some embodiments, bothan automatic pressure-release valve and a controllable outlet valve areincluded. For example, these might be included in cases where apressure-release valve provides a safety mechanism and a controllableoutlet valve allows regulation of pressure within a safe pressure range.In some embodiments, the valve 112 is a cartridge or structure removablefrom the apparatus 100, and in some such cases the valve 112 issurrounded by a seal to substantially prevent gas from leaking aroundthe edges of the gas outlet area.

The apparatus 100 can further include an air pump, fan, or passiveopening (“air circulator”) to allow for or regulate the circulation ofair within the apparatus 100. The air circulator can be used tocirculate air (e.g. hot or cool, stale or fresh air) into or out of theapparatus. The air circulator can be integrated within the valve 112,though in other embodiments it may share any or all of the notedcharacteristics of a gas outlet, but be physically separate. The aircirculator can be integrated within the liquid inlet valve 114, or be aseparate structure or separate insert into the lid 105. The lid 105,main container 110, and seals may be arranged prevent free circulationof air between the main container 110 and the outside atmosphere. Hence,the contents of the main container 110 may be substantially isolatedfrom the outside atmosphere. However, controlled circulation or inlet offresh air may be achieved by the use of an air circulator.

FIG. 1 a also illustrates display 141, which can take various forms orlocations. FIG. 1. shows possible location for the display 141, thoughthe display could be placed on the top, bottom, side, nearby but by withwired, wireless, or network communication, etc., and there could also bemultiple displays. The user can then enter various types of informationinto the display unit 141. For example, the user can enter informationabout the type of food product (beans, rice, vegetables, etc.) and thespecific kind of that food product (e.g., black beans, pinto beans,etc.). In some embodiments, the user can enter one or more additionaldetails, including the amount of food product (e.g., pounds, ounces,etc.) or a level of food product (e.g., marked by visible, physicalmarkings inside the main container 110) or an amount of food productadded (e.g., ½ cup, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cups, etc.). The user can alsoenter timing data, such as when the food should be ready, when it wasadded, when the user will be home to check on it, etc. In someembodiments, the user can further enter different preparation or cookingcycles (e.g., sprouting, soaking, cooking, warming, etc. by applying arecipe to automate the corresponding process). The display unit 141 caninclude a keypad, web server, touchpad, WiFi or network connection withsoftware API, or other mechanism for user manipulation, and a window,screen etc. for display to the user.

FIG. 1 a also includes a control box 140 that can be located in variouslocations in the apparatus 100, including the location shown in FIG. 1.The control box 140 can be a microcontroller or other control mechanismthat controls various components of the apparatus 100 and that caninteract with the display 141 and a number of sensors S1-S5 shown inFIG. 1. The sensors S1-S5 can be a variety of different sensor typesthat can be located in various positions, such as those shown in FIG. 1a. There can be more or fewer sensors than are shown in FIG. 1 a. Thecontrol box 140 and sensors S1-S5 are described in more detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 1 b, there is shown a side view of the apparatus100 b, according to another embodiment. Like apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 a,apparatus 100 b of FIG. 1 b includes an outer container 137 b, a maincontainer 110 b (having a liquid inlet/outlet 111 b with a liquidinlet/outlet valve 112 b and an outlet cover 118 b), a liquid inletcontainer 134 b (having a liquid inlet 115 b with a liquid inlet valve114 b), and a liquid outlet container 132 b. In this embodiment,however, the containers 134 b and 132 b are differently shaped and areshown within the outer container 137 b. These containers 134 b and 132 bcan include handles 115 b, 116 b and spouts 113 b, 117 b. The outercontainer 137 b is a chassis or other covering for various components ofthe apparatus 100, including the main container 110 b. In brief summary,the main container 110 b can be opened via the lid 105 b to allow theuser to insert food inside, such as dry beans (the outer container 137 bcan also having a lid or other access method to allow the user to accessthe main container 110 b). The user adds fresh liquid (e.g., clean waterfrom a tap) to the liquid inlet container 134 b. The main container 110b is designed to rotate within the outer container 137 b via cradle 102b to line up the tip 119 b of the liquid inlet 115 b with the liquidinlet/outlet 111 b to receive fresh liquid from the liquid inletcontainer 134 b (receiving position), and to line up the liquid outlet115 with the opening 150 b of the liquid outlet container 132 b todeliver waste or used liquid into the liquid outlet container 132 b(dump position). This rotation can be used repeatedly to add freshliquid into the main container 110 b to rinse, soak, cook, etc. the foodin the container 110 b, and then to dump the used liquid into the liquidoutlet container 132 b. The heater 131 b heats the main container 110,and the food and liquid inside, for cooking and other processesrequiring heat. A control box 140 b controls the operations of theapparatus 100 b and a display 141 b receives input from the userregarding programming, etc. of the apparatus 100 b. Sensors S1-S5correspond to sensors S1-S5 of apparatus 100 b. This is just a briefdescription of the components of apparatus 100 b. As explained above,the description of the corresponding components of apparatus 100 andapparatus 100 c throughout also apply generally to the components ofapparatus 100 b.

Referring now to FIG. 1 c, there is shown a front view of the apparatus100 c, according to another embodiment. Like apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 a,apparatus 100 c of FIG. 1 c includes an outer container 137 c and a maincontainer 110 c. The liquid inlet container 134 and liquid outletcontainer 132 are not shown (or can be contained within the componentsshown). The main container 110 is designed to rotate (as shown by thearrows in FIG. 1 c) within the outer container 137 c (or along with theouter container 137 c) via cradle 102 c. The heater 131 c heats the maincontainer 110 c, and the food and liquid inside, for cooking and otherprocesses requiring heat. A display 141 c receives input from the userregarding programming, etc. of the apparatus 100 c. The apparatus 100 ccan also include any of the additional components described throughoutwith regard to apparatus 100 a or 100 b, as well. This is just a briefdescription of the components of apparatus 100 c. As explained above,the description of the corresponding components of apparatus 100 and 100b throughout also apply generally to the components of apparatus 100 c.

B. Rear View and Rotation Components

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a rear view of the apparatus 100without the liquid inlet container 134 or liquid outlet container 132,according to some embodiments. This view shows the cradle 102 withcradle arms 204 on either side of the main container 110. The heater 131forms the base of the cradle 102 on which the main container 110 sits.The cradle 102 acts a swing with the two cradle arms 204 connecting oneither side to the outer container 137 or to another part of theapparatus 100. The point at which the two arms 204 connect to theapparatus 100 is the pivot point about which the main container 110 canbe rotated within the outer container 137. In some embodiments, the maincontainer 110 is designed to snap into or otherwise be attached to theheater 131 when the container 110 is positioned in the cradle 102 tokeep the container 110 within the cradle 102 during rotation. The cradle102 can be designed to allow the main container 110 to pivot backwardsabout the rotation point to line up the liquid inlet/outlet 111 (orteapot spout) with the liquid inlet 115 of the liquid inlet container134 so that liquid from the container 134 can enter the main container110 (see FIG. 4). The cradle 102 can also be designed to allow the maincontainer 110 to pivot forward about the rotation point until the liquidinlet/outlet 111 is positioned just above the liquid outlet container132 to allow the liquid inside the main container to exit into theliquid outlet container 132 (see FIG. 5). The cradle 102 can also allowthe main container 110 to rotate to other positions in the outercontainer 137 as well (e.g., to rotate backwards, past the liquid inlet115 to another opening or container, such as a spice holder).

Besides the cradle 102 design illustrated, other rotation mechanisms formoving the main container 110 can also be used. Referring now to FIG. 3b, there is shown a rear view of the liquid movement and controlapparatus without the liquid inlet or outlet containers and with asupport 380 but without a cradle 102, according to embodiments of theinvention. The one or more supports 380 connect the main container 110to the outer container 137 and/or the components container 202/motor302. The main container supports 380 can take a variety forms, such asan axle, pins, rods, knobs, wheels, gears, or other attachment pointsthat connect the main container 110 to the apparatus 100, including tothe components container 102, to the motor 302, or other points on themain body of the apparatus 100. For example, the sides of the maincontainer 110 can have knobs that stick out and rest on or attach to theapparatus 100, possibly including gears, teeth, grooves, etc. These thussupport the weight of the main container 110 and also potentiallyconnect the main container 110 the motor 302 via gears, shafts, belts,etc. In some embodiments, the main container 110 includes one or moreround surfaces suitable for rolling, and in some such cases the maincontainer 110 rests on top of wheels, rollers, belts, gears, etc. If oneor more of these rotating “wheels” are part of the apparatus 100, theturning of those wheels by a motor in the apparatus will rotate the maincontainer 110. In many cases, with a cradle, the heater 131 is part ofthe cradle and the heater moves with the cradle. However, the heater 131can be fixed to the apparatus 100. Similarly, the heater 131 can beintegrated into the main container 110, such as a coil integrated intothe main container 110 and in electrical contact with the apparatus viathe attachment points in the container supports 380. In cases where theheater 131 moves with the main container 110, energy can be supplied bycontacts that are open when the heater is in a non-heating position, andthe contacts can be closed to form a circuit when the heater is in oneor more heating positions. In some cases, the default position of themain container 110 is a heating position. In some cases, rotating themain container 110 to add or remove liquid breaks the circuit to theheater 131, e.g. placing the main container 110 in a non-heatingposition so that the heater is inactive by, for example, breaking theelectrical circuit to the heater.

The components container 202 is also illustrated in FIG. 2 whichcontains mechanical and other components for operating the apparatus100. That container 202 is shown for illustration on one side of themain container 110, though it may be on both sides, below, surrounding,comprised of several distinct containers, or otherwise situated inrelation to the main container 110. For example, the componentscontainer 202 can have one or two motors 302 that drive the rotation ofthe main container 110, possibly driving the rotation from either orboth sides of the main container 110 (e.g. rotating a cradle or axlefrom one or both sides of the main container 110).

Referring now to FIG. 3 a, there is shown an enlarged view of thecomponents container 202 of the apparatus 100, according to someembodiments. The components container 202 contains the motor 302 foroperating the apparatus 100 and rotating the main container 110. Avariety of different motor designs can be used as motor 302 (e.g., astepper motor, a simple grill or barbecue motor with some positionswitches that could be magnetic or otherwise, etc.).

C. Receiving Position

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a side view of the apparatus 100in the receiving position with the liquid inlet container 134, accordingto an embodiment of the invention. In this Figure, the main container110 has rotated around rotation point 401 to position the liquidinlet/outlet 111 of the main container 110 near or directly under theliquid inlet 115 of the liquid inlet container 134 receiving liquid fromthe liquid inlet container 134 into the main container 110. The cradle102 has swung forward (or to the left in FIG. 4) to rotate the maincontainer 110 around rotation point 401 until the liquid inlet/outlet111 is pointing upward in the apparatus 100. In some embodiments, theliquid inlet/outlet 111 and the liquid inlet 115 can snap or otherwisefit together for liquid transfer between the containers 134, 110. Theliquid can be added to the main container 110 at multiple points in thefood preparation/cooking process. For example, the liquid can be addedfor rinsing the food, for soaking the food, for cooking the food, forrunning a self-cleaning cycle through the main container 110 to cleanthe inside, etc.

Various mechanisms can be used for controlling the movement of the maincontainer 110 and for stopping it at the correct receiving position forcollecting the liquid from the container 134. Using the motor 302, themain container 110 can be rotated to specific positions. In some casesthe apparatus 100 will determine the position of the main container 110by the amount of rotation applied. In other cases, the position can bedetermined and/or controlled by sensors, such as contact switches, thatprovide a signal when the container 110 is in specific positions. Theamount of force or change in amount of force to rotate the maincontainer 110 can be measured by and used by the apparatus 100 todetermine the position of the main container 110. This is particularlytrue when the main container 110, or its center of mass, is asymmetricalaround the rotational axis, and hence requires different amounts offorce to rotate to or maintain different positions. In some cases,position-dependent switches such as contact switches will be activatedat pre-determined main-container positions (e.g. receiving/liquid-inletposition, dump/liquid outlet position, spice-hatch #1 activationposition, spice-hatch #2 activation position (see description ofspice-hatches below), etc.). Feedback from those switches can cause therotation to pause or stop at that location when appropriate.

The valve 114 of the liquid inlet container 134 can be designed to openwhen the main container 110 has reached the receiving position of FIG. 4to release the liquid from the container 134. As one example, the valve114 can be designed as a liquid dispenser (e.g., similar to that usedwith a soda machine or water cooler) where the main container 110 orsome structure on the main container 110 (e.g., the liquid inlet/outlet111 or another structure on the surface) presses against a bar, switchor other control mechanism that causes the valve 114 to open anddispense liquid. Other designs are also possible. For example, valvesmay be opened or closed by mechanical action of the rotation of the maincontainer 110, or by the controller 140, or by a combination of the two.The outlet cover 118 (see FIG. 1 a) has openings that allow the liquidto drain though the outlet cover 118 though the liquid inlet/outlet 111,and into the main container 110.

D. Drainage/Dump Position

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a side view of the apparatus 100in the drainage/dump position with the liquid outlet container 132(outer container 137 not shown), according to some embodiments. In thisFigure, the main container 110 has rotated around rotation point 401 toposition the liquid inlet/outlet 111 at an opening 503 of the liquidoutlet container 132. The cradle 102 has swung backward (or to the rightin FIG. 5) to rotate the main container 110 around rotation point 401until the liquid inlet/outlet 111 is pointing downward in the apparatus100. The dump liquid 502 is shown exiting the main container 110. Theliquid inside the main container 110 can be dumped at multiple points inthe food preparation/cooking process. For example, the liquid can bedumped after rinsing the food, after soaking the food, after cooking thefood, after running a self-cleaning cycle through the main container 110to clean the inside, etc.

Various mechanisms can be used for controlling the movement of the maincontainer 110 and for stopping it at the correct drainage/dump positionfor releasing the liquid from the container 110. Commonly, these aresimilar to the methods described for stopping at other positions (e.g.the receiving position described above).

In embodiments in which the main container 110 has a valve 112, thevalve 112 can be designed to open when the main container 110 hasreached the drainage/dump position of FIG. 4 to release the liquid fromthe liquid inlet/outlet 111. Commonly, this similar to as describedthroughout this description for opening, closing, or controlling valves.The outlet cover 118 (see FIG. 1 a) can be a mesh, sieve or otherstructure with openings that allow the liquid to drain though the outletcover 118 and out of the liquid inlet/outlet 111. However, the openingsof the outlet cover 118 are fine enough to keep the food inside the maincontainer 110 (or at least the larger pieces of food, e.g., the beans).When the main container 110 is in the drainage/dump position and thevalve 112 is open, the liquid in the container 110 leaves the container110 via gravity through the outlet cover 118 and the inlet/outlet 111,while the cover 118 catches the food and prevents its exit from the maincontainer. The apparatus 100 can be designed so that all or a portion ofthe liquid leaves the main container 110 in the drainage/dump position,or could have different settings that allow for different amounts of theliquid to be released, by having different dump positions, by using thevalve 112 to control the amount of liquid exiting the container 110, andso forth.

E. Heating and Power Components

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a rear view of the apparatus 100with the main container 110 being lowered into the cradle 102 (outercontainer 137 not shown), according to some embodiments. The apparatus100 is connected to a power source 602 via wires 604. The apparatus 100can be designed to work with 220V, 50 Hz or 110V, 60 Hz, batteries, orother power sources. In some embodiments the apparatus 100 will preventthe heater 131 from activating when the main container 110 is notpresent with, for example, an optical sensor that sees the container 110or detects loss of light due to the presence of the main container 110,a switch closed by the weight of the main container 110, a conductive orinductive sensor, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a rear view of the apparatus 100with the main container in the cradle and with a stabilizer 702 holdingit in place during rotation, and holding it against the heater 131(outer container 137 not shown), according to some embodiments. In otherembodiments, the main container 110 can be held in place by a latch,lock, magnet, etc. serving as a stabilizer. In some embodiments, thestabilizer 702 primarily constrains the movement of the main container110 within a predetermined region during rotation (e.g. to keep it fromfalling out of the cradle or moving out of position in the apparatus 100while the main container 110 is rotated).

The rotating main container 110 design has a number of advantages.First, it is a simple and clean cooking container design. Second, thereis no need or a limited need for complicated valves or for hoses andother structures attached to cooking container that must be designed totolerate dishwashing. Third, the main container 110 is removable forwashing by hand or in a standard, home dishwasher and can be designed tobe used as a serving container that will stand flat on a table with nostructure underneath. Fourth, the rotating motion can empty the maincontainer 110, but also can fill it water and release spices, so thereis no need for additional electromechanical gadgets to fill it withwater and to release spices. These are just a few examples of advantagesof the apparatus 100.

F. Microcontroller and Sensors

Referring again to FIG. 1 a, the apparatus 100 includes a control box140 that can be connected to a key pad associated with a display unit141, and that can also be connected to a various sensors S1-S5 inmultiple sensor locations. In some embodiments, a keypad will beunderstood to include the idea of a voice control unit, a mouse ortouchpad device, a touch-sensitive screen, a control unit connected overa network, or any of the other user input means known in the applianceor mobile device fields.

The sensors can be sensors of variety of types, including temperaturesensors, weight sensors, pressure sensors, optic sensors, liquid levelsensors, liquid flow sensors, ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors,edibility or cooking status sensors (ECS sensors), scales or weightsensors, piezoelectric sensors, clocks or time sensors, infrared (IR)sensors, barcode sensors, RFID sensors, pH sensors, conductance orcapacitance sensors, liquid or atmospheric pressure sensors, imagingsensors, cameras providing an image of the inside of the main container,mechanical sensors to determine the viscosity or resistance to stirringin the main container, voltage or current or energy usage sensors, orcombinations of these or other sensors, or others. For example, sensorS1 can be a temperature or weight sensor. Sensor S2 can be a temperaturesensor or a special ECS (i.e. suitability for eating; edibility, orcooking status) sensor. Sensor S3 can be a temperature, pressure, liquidlevel, or optic sensor observing the food product, and can be locatedinside or outside the main container 110. Sensors S4 and S5 can beliquid level sensors or temperature sensors. The embodiment of FIG. 3illustrates five sensors, though there can be more or fewer sensors asneeded, which can be in the same locations or in other locations notillustrated in FIG. 1 a. In addition, some sensors can be designed tohave more than one function or include more than one sensor type.

One or more of sensors S1-S5 or other sensors not shown can assist insafety management for the apparatus 100. For example, a sensor in theliquid outlet container 132 can warn a user if liquid is left in thecontainer 132 that should be removed. A sensor in the main container 110can warn if the cooking container gets too hot (e.g., the liquid boilsoff), if there is a fire, if the apparatus 100 is accidentally tippedover (e.g., accelerometer), whether the lids are properly locked or inplace for the containers 110, 137, etc., if there is insufficient liquidin the liquid inlet container 134, if a motor overload is experienced,and so forth.

The control box 140 or other microcontroller controls operation of thecomponents of the apparatus 100. It can automatically open and closevalves 114, 112, control the motor and rotation of the main container110, control the heater 131, etc. In one embodiment, the programautomatically rotates the container 110 into the receiving position andopens valve 114 to supply the right amount of water from the liquidinlet container 134 into main container 110 to properly rinse, soak, orcook a food product. Upon arriving at the proper or desired water levelin the main container 110, the microcontroller can order the valve 114to close. When the soaking cycle is completed, the microcontroller cancontrol the rotation of the container 110 into the drainage/dumpposition, opening and closing of valve 112, and release of the liquidfrom the container 110. The controller 140 can control the heater 131 tostart operating according to a particular common recipe-stage or heatingcycle. When the heating cycle is completed, the controller 140 can orderthe heater 131 to enter a special cycle that keeps the main container110 contents warm.

In some embodiments, one or more recipes are stored on acomputer-readable storage medium (e.g., a flash memory, RAM, ROM, disks,etc.) that stores instructions (e.g., computer program instructions)that can be executed by a computer processor for operating the apparatusaccording to the recipe. Thus, there can be recipes for preparingdifferent food products (e.g., beans, rice, etc.) or different types offood products (e.g., black beans, pinto beans), and so forth. The recipecan specify the appropriate temperatures, lengths of time, quantities offood product or liquid, etc., and can the controller 140 can operate thedevice according to the directions specified in the recipe. In theembodiment of FIG. 1 a, the control box 140 allows interaction with theuser through the key pad associated with a display unit 141. The usercan enter information in order for the control box 140 to be able tocompute and execute the desired operation, and the sensors can aid inachieving the desired operation by informing the controller 140 of theconditions inside the apparatus 100.

G. Input Reagents and Seasonings

FIGS. 8 a-d illustrate the spice hatch 800 or seasonings container,according to some embodiments. FIG. 8 a is a side view of the lid 105 ofthe main container 110 with a single spice hatch. The spice hatch 800 isa cup, chamber, repository, or seasonings holder, where liquid or dryseasonings or other reagents (“spices”) can be added and then releasedinto the main container 110 or into the fresh water/liquid inletcontainer 134. The user can access the spice hatch 800 by opening thelid 105 of the main container 110 and by opening the lid 802 of thespice hatch 800 to insert spices into the spice hatch 800. The releaseof spices into the main container 110 can occur by simply opening thelid 802 on the spice hatch 800 once the lid 105 of the main container110 is closed to expose the spice hatch 800 contents to the maincontainer 110. In some embodiments, opening a mechanical hatch, flap,door, or lid 802 can drop or slide the seasonings into the maincontainer 110, (e.g. a “trap door” mechanism). Lid seal 804 seals thespices inside the spice hatch 800. Lid retainer 808 is a latch, hook,pull, spring, or other standard mechanical method that holds the lid 802in place to trap the spices inside the hatch 800. The spice hatch 800can be fully or partially removable for loading and cleaning.

Spice release control 806 controls the opening of the lid retainer 808,which allows the spices to be released into the inside of the maincontainer 110. Various different control 806 mechanisms can be used. Forexample, the spice hatch 800 can be opened by means of an permanentmagnet or electromagnet that does not require a physical connection tothe inside of the main container 110, and which can be activated torelease the lid 802 of the spice hatch 800. In general, such aspring/magnet mechanism, a motor, a slider, a valve, and many othermeans well known in the appliance arts can be used to implement thespice release control 806. In some cases, the spice hatch 800 has a lid802 that opens at a pre-determined temperature or pressure.

The spice hatch 800 can be designed such that opening the hatch 800 tothe main container 110 allows appropriate transfer of seasonings intothe main container 110. For example, steam or steam condensation couldbe enough to dissolve, liquefy, melt, or solvate seasonings 600 andthereby allow them to flow into the main container 110. Similarly,seasonings 600 can be formulated such that they are solid or viscous atroom temperature and humidity, but liquefy or gasify on exposure to themain container 110 and thereby flow or release into the main container110. The lid 802 isolates the seasonings from the main containerenvironment and keeps the seasonings ready for use until the appropriatepoint in the cooking process for spice addition to the food product.Salt, for example could be placed in the spice hatch 800 and added latein the final cooking step to facilitate full flavor when cooking foodproducts like beans in order to achieve desired flavor without causingtough skins on the beans. Chili and hot spices that the operator wantedto penetrate vegetables or beans could be added to the spice hatch 800and then controllably exposed to the main container 110 earlier in thecooking process to soak them deeply into the food. Baking soda or Beanocould be added to the seasonings holder 600 and then exposed to the maincontainer 110 during a pre-rinse-soak step to neutralizeflatulence-inducing nutrients, and yet be substantially eliminated in arinsing cycle. Hydrophobic coatings, and other easy cleaning materials,may be applied to the spice hatch 800 to keep charged or hydrophilicmaterials from sticking to the spice hatch 800.

In some cases, the spices added to the spice hatch 800 are contained ina pre-filled canister, packet, or single-use container or spice packagethat can be used to add a pre-determined mixture of seasonings. Forexample, in some embodiments, the seasoning package is sealed prior touse, and is punctured by the apparatus to allow fluid flow into and outof the package to transport the seasonings into the main container. Insome cases, the seasonings are delivered by controllably flowing liquidthrough the spice hatch 800 at the desired time or in recipe conditionswhen the time is right to add some or all of the spices to the maincontainer 110. Commonly, spice packages having pre-mixed liquids orseasonings can be added to a main container 110 by the flow of a carrierliquid, such as water, to flush them into the main container 110 from apre-prepared reagent container. Reagents, such as salt or salt-water,baking powder or baking-powder infused water, vinegar, and otherreagents known to aide in food preparation, can be kept separately fromthe main cooking or rinsing water. The spices used can be liquid, paste,powder, infusible materials like tea, coffee, saffron, or bay leaves,etc.

FIG. 8 b is a rear view of the lid 105 of the main container 110 withtwo spice hatches. The two spice hatches 800 a and 800 b each containall the components of the single spice hatch 800, but they are labeled“a” and “b” to represent corresponding components. A number ofadditional spice hatches 800 can be included. The various spice hatchescan be independently controllable for releasing different spices atdifferent points in the cooking process, or to contain seasonings thatneed different types of containers for practical handling reasons (e.g.dry spices that mix poorly with liquid seasoning oils). Multiple magnetsor mechanical controllers can be included that allow the hatches 800 tobe opened or closed independently, e.g., by controlling the openingand/or closing of lids 802 a and b. In some cases, one or more seals 804a and b can be used to provide a liquid, solid, or gas tight seal. Insome embodiments, the sensors can be used to sense some or all of thefollowing: the presence or level or type of seasonings present in thespice hatches 800 a and b, the rate of inflow of liquid or outflow ofliquid or seasonings, the freshness, expiration date, or vendor of theseasonings or seasonings container, to confirm if an inner or outer lidis open or closed partially or fully, to determine if the seasonings orseasonings package present is in accordance with a recipe to beperformed by the invention, or to determine a recipe to be performedbased on a machine-readable label 620, e.g. a RFID tag, signature,barcode, data-matrix code, semacode, data glyph, code, tag, othermachine-readable label, or other measurement of the seasonings orseasonings package, etc.

FIG. 8 c is a side view of the spice hatch 800 release. FIG. 8 d is aside view of the spice hatch 800 after release. The main container 110can be rotated backwards in the outer container 137 past the liquidinlet 115 to cause the spice hatch opening. Where the position of themain container 110 in FIG. 1 a is position A (the normal, horizontalposition, 0°), the position in FIG. 4 is position B (the filling orreceiving position, 30°), the position in FIG. 5 is position C (theemptying or dump position, −90°), then the spice release position can bePosition D (60°).

For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 c and d, the spice release control 806can engage a lid release activator 810 (e.g., a switch, lever,outcropping, etc.) in the outer container 137 that causes the lid 802 tocome open to release the spices. Where there are multiple spice hatches800, there can be multiple lid release activators 810 in the outercontainer 137. The rotation of the container 110 back forwards willallow the spices to slide further into the container 110 to mix with thefood product and liquid in the container 110. A variety of other releaseactivation mechanisms can also be used to open the lid 802.

The spice hatch is shown in FIGS. 8 a-d in the lid 105 of the maincontainer 110 though it could also be located in other places within themain container 110 or in the outer container 137, in a handle of themain container 110, etc., according to other embodiments. As oneexample, the spice hatch 800 could mechanically open at a certainrotation angle of the main container 110. The main container could bedesigned to rotate backward, similar to what is shown in FIGS. 8 c andd, but instead the spice hatch 800 would be in the outer container 137.In this case, the spice hatch 800 can open when the liquid inlet/outlet111 is positioned directly under the spice hatch 800 to allow the spicesto enter through the inlet/outlet 111. The opening of the hatch 800 canbe trigged by the container 110 hitting a switch, mechanical lever, orother control mechanism on the outer container 137. In some embodiments,after the spices are released into the inlet/outlet 111, the maincontainer can rotate past the liquid inlet of container 134 and liquidcan be released into the inlet/outlet 111 to wash the spices into themain container 110.

H. Liquid Inlet/Outlet Valve

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b illustrate a side view of the liquid inlet/outlet 111with the liquid outlet valve 112 on the inside of the main container110, according to some embodiments. The tip of the inlet/outlet 111 isshown to the left side of the Figures while the part of the inlet/outlet111 that connects to the main container 110 is shown on the right sideof the Figures. FIG. 9 a is a side view of the liquid outlet with aclosed outlet valve on the inside of the main container. FIG. 9 b is aside view of the liquid outlet with an open outlet valve on the insideof the main container. The valve 112 in this embodiment is a flap thatcloses over the liquid inlet/outlet 111 from inside the main container110 to prevent the release of liquid or steam from the main container110. The outlet cover 118 is shown on the outside of the valve 112. Aseal 904 a is shown on the outside of the valve 112 flap to seal theopening of the liquid inlet/outlet 111. A controller 902 a can controlthe opening and closing of the valve 112.

In some cases, the valve 112 can be simply opened and closed by astationary or pivoting (fixed) rod 912 attached to the apparatus 100that passes through the liquid outlet 111, outlet cover 118, and pushesthe outlet valve open. In some cases, such a rod is attached to the mainapparatus 100, e.g. to the outer container 137, and is positioned sothat rotating the main container 110 to the dumping position also movesthe liquid outlet valve 112 into contact with the rod, and thus pushesthe liquid outlet valve 112 open. In some cases, the seal is a soft,food-safe high-temperature silicone seal. Although the controller 902 b(optionally including a hinge), is shown on top of the outlet 111, itcan also be below, on the side, integrated into the body of the maincontainer 110, etc. The controller 902 can also incorporate catches,triggers, arms, and other mechanisms to open or close the valve 112. Insome cases, it will be designed to interact with a corresponding catch,trigger, arm, knob, etc., on the outer container 137 or apparatus 100 sothat simply rotating the main container 110 will control the openingand/or closing of the valve 112. The controller 902 can also comprise aspring, magnet, catch, or other mechanical mechanism to maintainnormally-closed (or open, or bi-positioned) positioning of the valve112. In some embodiments, controller 902 will open the valve 112 onlywhen the main container 110 is in specific, pre-determined positions,such as the dumping position, the liquid receiving position, one or morepositions for receiving spices, such as during spice hatch release, andso forth.

FIGS. 9 c and 9 d illustrate a side view of the liquid inlet/outlet 111with the liquid inlet/outlet valve 112 on the outside of the maincontainer 110, according to some embodiments. The tip of theinlet/outlet 111 is shown to the left side of the Figures while the partof the inlet/outlet 111 that connects to the main container 110 is shownon the right side of the Figures. FIG. 9 c is a side view of the liquidoutlet with a closed outlet valve on the outside of the main container.FIG. 9 d is a side view of the liquid outlet with an open outlet valveon the outside of the main container. In this embodiment, the valve 112is a flap that closes over the liquid inlet/outlet 111 from outside themain container 110 to prevent the release of liquid or steam from themain container 110. The outlet cover 118 is shown on the inside of theliquid inlet/outlet 111. A seal 904 b is shown on the inside of thevalve 112 flap to seal the opening of the liquid inlet/outlet 111. Acontroller 902 b controls the opening and closing of the valve 112. Insome such designs, the steam from inside the main container 110 can putpressure on the valve 112 flap to push it open for release as a pressuresafety mechanism.

FIG. 9 e is a side view of the valve being opened by a valve openingstructure 910 on the outer container 137, according to some embodiments.The structure 910 can be a latch, switch, outcropping, etc. in the outercontainer 137 that engages or otherwise causes the valve 112 flap toopen for releasing liquid or steam from the main container 110. Thestructure 910 can be positioned adjacent to the liquid outlet container132 to cause the flap to open when the main container 110 reaches thedrainage/dump position for dumping of waste liquid.

II. Method

A. User Method

Referring now to FIG. 10 there is shown a flowchart illustrating theuser method of operation of the apparatus 100, according to someembodiments of the invention. The user empties 1002 the container 132and places it back into position inside the apparatus 100. The userturns power on 1004, reviews 1006 the display to make sure the displayshows the start message (e.g., “SELECT BEANS RECIPE”), and opens the lid105 to container 110. The user fills 1008 container 110 with the foodproduct to the correct level (e.g., as determined by a line on theinside of container 110 or by a sensor, etc. (e.g., about 2 cups (4dL)), closes the lid 105 to container 110, fills 1010 the container 134to the line with fresh liquid (e.g., about 10 cups (2 L)), and in someembodiments, the user fills 1011 one or more spice hatches. The user canmake sure the display still displays the start message. Steps 1008,1010, and 1011 can occur in any order. The user enters the parametersfor the apparatus 100. For example, the user can select 1012 theparticular food product on the display, confirms, and the message on thedisplay 141 shows the food (e.g., “BLACK BEANS”). As another example,the time symbol (e.g., “00 00”) can appear on the display, and the usercan set 1012 the desired eating time (e.g., in hours and minutes fromthe time right now) by adjusting the time on the display 141. The usercan confirm any or all settings. One or messages will be displayed forthe cycle (e.g., “BLACK BEANS”+“RESTING”+“16 30”, which is the time leftto the end, in this example 16 hours and 30 minutes). Once the timercounts down to zero, the apparatus 100 can switch to low-heat mode tokeep the meal warm for up to several hours, and the display can indicatethis (e.g., “COOLING aa bb”, where aa bb is the time since the low-heatmode was entered). The user can wait 1014 until the display indicatesthis cycle (e.g., “LOW HEAT aa bb”), which indicates that container 110is sufficiently cooled off to be removed. The user can open the lid 105to container 110 and release 1016 the container 110 from outer container137. The container 110 can then be used as a serving dish. Afterwards,the container 110 can be washed 1018 and one or more components placedin the dishwasher. The user can also put the container 110 back into theapparatus to run a cleaning cycle 1018. This is just one example ofsteps that can occur in the method, though more, fewer, or differentsteps can occur.

B. Apparatus Method

Referring now to FIG. 11 there is shown a flowchart illustrating theapparatus 100 method of operation for cooking, according to someembodiments of the invention. The apparatus 100 can accept 1102 userinput from the display 141 about the food product type (e.g., blackbeans) and the total time until completion (and/or a variety of otherinputs from the user), and the display 141 can communicate back to theuser via various display messages. The apparatus 100 can check 1104liquid level sensor S4 in liquid outlet container 132. If there isliquid detected in the liquid outlet container 133, the apparatus 100can prevent further work until container 132 sensor S4 indicates it thatthe liquid outlet container 132 is empty, and so it can go back to step1104 until the container 132 is empty. In some embodiments, it willprovide an error message or otherwise notify the user to empty thecontainer 132. In some embodiments, it can further check 1104 the maincontainer 110 and provide a notification if the container 110 is notempty. In some embodiments, it can also check 1104 the liquid added tothe liquid inlet container 134 to ensure that the appropriate amount hasbeen added, and can provide an error message if there is a problem.Similarly, the apparatus 100 can confirm that the user input is valid bychecking with the user or by otherwise reviewing the input to confirmvalidity. If the input is not valid, it can return to the step 1102 toaccept new input. Steps 1102 and 1104 could be reversed in someembodiments.

Once the user confirms the input and the apparatus confirms the waterlevel, the apparatus can then enter 1106 a fully automatic cooking mode.The apparatus 100 can compute 1108 the optimal type and length ofsoak-cycle, compute 1108 the optimal length of cook-cycle, compute 1108the optimal time for spice release, etc. Depending on the food typeand/or user input, in some embodiments it may compute 1108 fewer or morecycles. In one embodiment, the display 141 will cycle through messagesindicating this information (e.g., “BLACK BEANS”+“RESTING”+“16 30”) andcan then display the message regarding the soaking cycle (e.g., “aa bbSOAKING cc dd”, where aa and bb indicates time until serving and cc anddd indicate time left of soaking). In some embodiments, the apparatus100 further determines whether the cycles can be completed by therequested time and/or with the ingredients and/or liquid available. Ifnot, the apparatus 100 can return to the accept user input step 1102. Insome embodiments, it can provide an error message or otherwise notifythe user of the problem.

Once the apparatus 100 has confirmed that it can move forward, theapparatus 100 can then rotate 1110 the main container 110 to thereceiving position for receiving liquid into the main container 110. Theapparatus 100 can then add 1112 liquid from the liquid inlet container134 to the main container 110, for example by opening valve 114, bypumping, or otherwise adding fresh liquid from container 134 into maincontainer 110 to start soaking the food product. The apparatus 100 leavevalve 114 open for y minutes, which will allow a certain amount ofliquid (e.g., 5 cups (1 L) of water) to cover the food product. Theapparatus 100 can then rotate 1114 the main container 110 into theneutral or cooking/soaking position and soak 1116 the food product for acertain amount of time in the fresh liquid. It can be finished soaking1116 either at a set time x or when a sensor inside the main container110 says the soaking is complete. When it is done soaking 1116, itrotates 1118 the main container 110 to the drainage/dump position anddrains 1120 the soaking liquid from the main container 110 into theliquid outlet container 112 (e.g., by opening valve 112 at time x todrain the liquid in container 110 into container 132, by pumping liquid,etc.). The draining 1120 can take y2 minutes to complete. If there is avalve 112, the apparatus 100 can close valve 112 when the draining isdone. The apparatus can conduct any additional soak cycles by repeatingsteps 1110 to 1120.

In embodiments where the apparatus 100 is configured for a sprout cycleor other similar cycles, the apparatus 100 can run steps 1110-1120 as asprout cycle. This can be done before starting the soaking cycle. In thesprout cycle, heat can be applied, air circulation in the main container110, agitation or movement of the food/liquid in the main container 110,etc.

The apparatus 110 next rotates 1122 back to the receiving position andadds 1123 cooking liquid from the liquid outlet container 134 to themain container 110 (e.g., by pumping or by opening valve 114 for y3minutes to allow a certain amount of liquid (e.g., 1 cup (2 dL) of freshwater) to enter container 110). The apparatus 100 can rotate 1124 backto the horizontal position or cooking position. In some embodiments, theapparatus 100 adds 1125 spices to the main container 110 (e.g., byopening a spice hatch) and can cook 1126 (e.g., can wait for y4minutes). In other embodiments, one or more spice hatches are opened toadd 1125 spices during the cooking 1126. During the cooking 1126 time,the apparatus 100 can turn on the heater 131 or turn up the heater 131and can display a message regarding the cooking cycle (e.g., “aa bbCOOKING cc dd”). It can take z minutes for the heater 131 to startboiling the liquid in the container 110. The apparatus 100 can continuecooking the food product until it has boiled for a certain number ofminutes. In some embodiments, the container 110 is slowly moved duringcooking. Gases can escape from the main container via the liquid outlet112 in some embodiments. When the cooking 1126 is done, The apparatus100 can then rotate 1128 the container 110 back to the dump position todrain 1130 some or all of the liquid through though the outlet 112(e.g., by opening valve 112 for y6 minutes) into container 132 (e.g.,and then can close valve 112). The apparatus 110 can then rotate 1132back to the neutral position and can start 1134 a warming cycle to keepthe food warm until the user is ready to eat the food. So, the apparatus100 can turn to low-power or a wait/warming cycle. During this time, thedisplay 141 can provide a wait/warming message (e.g., “LOW HEAT aa bb”and count up the time aa bb). The food product can wait for the cook forseveral hours in this mode.

In embodiments in which the apparatus 100 has a cleaning or sterilizingcycle that is designed to clean/sterilize the apparatus after use, thecontainer 110 can repeat steps 1120 to 1130. In some embodiments, thiscan start as soon as the user replaces the main container 110 into theapparatus or otherwise empties/rinses the main container 110 (or theuser can enter input to start cleaning cycle). The apparatus 100 thenrotates 1122 to the receiving position, adds liquid 1123, rotates 1124to a neutral position, cooks 1126 or otherwise heats the liquid forsterilizing (it can also agitated or move to swish the liquid), and whenit is done, it rotates 1128 to the dump position, drains 1130 theliquid, and rotates 1132 back to neutral. The display 141 can provide amessage indicating the cleaning cycle. In some embodiments, theapparatus 100 can be dry-heated to a sterilizing temperature, filledwith sterilizing steam, or the water can be brought to a boil forsterilizing the inside of the apparatus 100. Further, in someembodiments, soap can be inserted (e.g., into any of containers 110,132, 134 or into a special hatch, such as the spice hatch, or by openingin the apparatus 100 for soap insertion), and the soap plus water can bemoved around inside the apparatus 100 in the cleaning cycle. Inembodiments including the cleaning cycle, one or more of the parts ofthe apparatus 100 can be designed to tolerate high heat. The apparatuscan also be designed to dump its contents into a sink or into a kitchengarbage disposal unit (e.g., with a tube that could be snapped onto theapparatus) during the cleaning cycle. This is just one example of stepsthat can occur in the method, though more, fewer, or different steps canoccur. In some places the method is described in terms of minutes, butit will be understood that “minutes” also includes the substitution ofother criterion, such as measurements from sensors or signals from themicrocontroller, e.g. based on level of fullness or weight of the maincontainer, amount of liquid (rate of delivery or removal may vary),level of done-ness or completion for a stage in a recipe, appearance ordegree of green in a sprouting/growth recipe, various sensormeasurements, etc.

III. Other Designs and Uses

A. Multi-Chamber Apparatus

A variety of other designs and uses are possible for the apparatus 100.Some designs of the apparatus include multiple main containers forcoordinated cooking of different food products under different ordistinct conditions in each chamber. For example, beans could beprepared in one container and rice in the other. In the multi-chamberdesign, the main container 110 is replaced by two main containers thatallow separate cooking and that may be designed for snapping into andout of the apparatus by the user according to his cooking needs. Bothchambers can be thermally connected such that when the left chamber isheated the right chamber is also heated, or they could be heatedseparately with separate heaters. The container 110 can have two or moreliquid inlet/outlets 111 for receiving liquid independently in thechambers and draining liquid independently. For example, the maincontainer 110 can be designed with a spout on either side and can rotatein two directions to receive or release liquids. Each chamber can haveone or more independent spice hatches. A microcontroller and varioussensors can be used to independently operate the two chambers. Hence,the invention provides for one, two, three, four, five, or more maincontainers some or all of which may be independently or only jointlyremovable, drainable, liquid receivable, etc., with independent sensorsand so forth.

B. Sprouting, Steaming, Blanching

The apparatus can be designed to allow sprouting of some foods, such asfor sprouting of beans, legumes, plants, etc. In some embodiments,sprouting includes growing of plants of various types. Moisture, warmth,and in most cases, indirect or artificial sunlight may be needed forsprouting. The food to be sprouted can be placed directly into the maincontainer 110 or into one or more removable baskets placed in the maincontainer. The apparatus 100 can include a sprouting cycle or settingthat allows the user to set the apparatus to sprout the food product(e.g., for a specified period of time, such as for 1 day, 2 days, 3days, etc. The user can also set the apparatus to sprout for a setperiod of time and then automatically begin cooking after that period oftime. The apparatus can be designed to allow the food product to receivelight for sprouting (e.g., where the lid of the main container 110and/or outer container 137 is transparent or allows light to passthrough, where there is a growing light inside one or both containers110, 137, etc.) The apparatus can be designed to allow for aircirculation and to provide moisture (e.g., liquid inlet 115) during thesprouting process. Sensors can be used to ensure the moisture level isappropriate for sprouting. The apparatus can further include an agitatorto mechanically agitate or shake the main container or the floor of themain container 110, or the container 110 can be rotated to provideagitation. The apparatus can also be used to provide warming ortemperature management for sprouting. The apparatus can be furtherdesigned to control the environmental conditions inside, including thepressure, temperature, humidity, etc. to maintain the appropriate oroptimal sprouting conditions for the particular food product (e.g., viathe microcontroller and sensors). Sprouting of certain food products isknown to provide health benefits.

The apparatus can also be designed for blanching, steaming orsterilizing food. For example, there can be separate settings or buttonsof the device for these functions. The blanching function can bedesigned to do a quick boil or to quickly run hot water against the foodproduct. For example, for vegetables, this could be designed to cook ina manner that does not penetrate the vegetables all the way through sothat they are still crunchy, but cooked out the outside. The vegetablesor other food or plant item can be placed directly inside the maincontainer 110 for blanching or steaming, or there can be one or moreinsertable baskets inside the main container 110 in which the food to beblanched or steamed can be placed. Again, the environmental conditionsinside the main container 110 can be controlled for steaming, blanching,and sterilizing food.

C. Cleanability and Portability

Many of the principal components of the apparatus 100 (e.g., the maincontainer(s) 110 outlet cover 118, the outlet container 132, and othersurfaces in liquid and solid contact with the main container(s) duringcooking) can be removed for cleaning either manually or for placement ina standard home dish-washing machine to maintain the hygienic state ofthe apparatus. In some embodiments, all parts that come into contactwith the food product can be removable. Components can also be sized tofit inside a standard home dish washing machine, including in the sizedimensions described above, and can be coated or designed with materialsthat are dishwasher-safe. In some embodiments, the weight of eachremovable component will be suitable for easy detachability,washability, and ergonomic home use, e.g. with a weight not more than 15pounds, 12 pounds, 10 pounds, 8 pounds, 5 pounds, 4 pounds, 3 pounds, 2pounds, 1 pound, or 0.5 pounds. In practical uses, “detachable” or“removable” means easily removed from the device without resorting togeneral-purpose tools, and also means easily re-installed without thosetools.

The apparatus 100 is further designed to be “portable,” meaning it canbe moved or carried by a single home user and can be placed on astandard home kitchen countertop with components that can be placed in ahome dishwasher, etc. The device can be designed to minimize the devicefootprint or counter/shelf-space in a kitchen. It can be powered for usewith standard household outlets and can follow appliance guidelines forstandard household use. In some cases, the apparatus may incorporateportable power, such as solar cells and/or batteries to maintainpartial- or full-functionality with intermittent or no connectivity toexternal power sources for an extended period of time. Physical designcan also be adjusted for storage, portability, and placement.

The above description provides various examples of the apparatus andmethods. Various other components could be included in the apparatus andvarious other steps in the methods, including any of components/stepsand any of the different designs of component/steps described in U.S.Provisional Application No. 61261342 filed on Nov. 15, 2009, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes,including any appendices or attachments thereof.

Numerous specific details have been set forth herein to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be understood bythose skilled in the art, however, that the embodiments may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-knownoperations, components and circuits have not been described in detail soas not to obscure the embodiments. It can be appreciated that thespecific structural and functional details disclosed herein may berepresentative and do not necessarily limit the scope of theembodiments. The scope of the invention is to be limited only by thefollowing claims. As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or“an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “some embodiments” in various places in the specificationare not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

1. A portable apparatus for preparing and cooking a food product,comprising: a main container for holding the food product; a liquidinlet container associated with the main container for storing liquid tobe added to the food product; a liquid inlet opening from the liquidinlet container for controllably providing liquid into the maincontainer with the food product; an inlet valve connected to the liquidinlet for automated regulation of inflow of the liquid into the maincontainer; a liquid inlet/outlet opening from the main container forcontrollably receiving liquid into the main container when the maincontainer is in a receiving position and for controllably drainingliquid from the main container without removing the food product whenthe main container is in a drainage position; a liquid outlet containerfor receiving liquid drained from the main container; a motor associatedwith the main container for moving the main container from the receivingposition for receiving liquid to the drainage position for drainingliquid via gravity from the main container into the liquid outletcontainer; and a heater associated with the main container for automatedheating of the food product and the liquid in the main container.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller in communicationwith the main container for automatically regulating inflow of liquidinto the main container, outflow of the liquid from the main container,and heating of the food product and the liquid by the heater.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising an inlet/outlet valve connectedto the liquid outlet for automated regulation of outflow of the liquidfrom the main container.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein theinlet/outlet valve is a flap at the liquid outlet that is configured toopen and close to control the outflow of liquid from the main containerand that is configured to close to diminish the loss of heat or vaporthrough the liquid inlet/outlet of the main container during preparingor cooking of the food product.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein theflap is opened by a fixed flap-opening rod that passes through thedrainage opening and contacts the flap and pushes the flap open when themain container is moved into the drainage position.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein the inlet/outlet valve comprises a normally-closedvalve that is openable by moving the main container into the drainageposition for draining the liquid from the main container.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the inlet/outlet valve and a mechanism forcontrolling opening and closing of the liquid inlet/outlet valve arecontained within the main container.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the inlet/outlet valve is closed and retains increased pressureinside the main container during cooking.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising an outlet cover positioned at the liquid inlet/outletand having a plurality of openings for allowing liquid to drain out ofthe main container without allowing the food product to pass through theliquid outlet.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquidinlet/outlet of the main container comprises two separate liquidinlet/outlets, wherein one of the liquid inlet/outlets receives liquidfrom the liquid inlet container and the other of the liquidinlet/outlets drains water via gravity when the main container is in thedrainage position.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising anouter container that holds the main container inside and that isassociated with the liquid inlet container and the liquid outletcontainer, the outer container configured to remain stationary while themotor moves the main container between the receiving position and thedrainage position.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising acradle with at least one cradle arm reaching from the cradle to an outercontainer that holds the main container, the at least one cradle armassociated with the motor and configured to swing the cradle to move themain container between the receiving position and the drainage position.13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a cradle attached tothe heater into which the main container is attached for cooking thefood product and from which the main container is detached for separatewashing or use to serve the food product.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the motor is configured to rotate the main container to line upthe liquid inlet/outlet with the liquid inlet to pour liquid from theliquid inlet container into the main container.
 15. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the main container toposition the liquid inlet/outlet above the liquid outlet container todrain liquid from the main container into the liquid outlet container.16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a manually openable andcloseable lid that covers an opening of the main container, the lidbeing openable for manual access to contents of the main container, theopening being of a diameter that allows entry of a serving instrument,the lid configured for retaining heat or vapor inside the main containerwhen the lid is closed.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motoris configured to physically move the main container to a first positionfor cooking, a second position for controlled dumping of liquid from themain container and a third position for controlled addition of liquidsor spices to the main container.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe motor physically moves the main container to a fourth position forcontrolled addition of liquids or spices to the main container.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller associated withthe apparatus configured for controlling heating, draining, liquidaddition, and spice addition to the main container, the controller beingfurther configured for user-customized cooking programs for optimalcooking of a plurality of types of foods.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the apparatus is configured to receive dry beans into the maincontainer and water from the liquid inlet container, and toautomatically soak and cook the dry beans in the main container withoutuser intervention during the soaking and cooking.
 21. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein all components of the apparatus that come into contactwith the food product are removable for cleaning in a standard homedishwasher.
 22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid inletcontainer, liquid outlet container and main container each have a volumeof less than ten liters.
 23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is configured to regulate addition of liquids from the liquidinlet container and to control the heater for soaking and cooking of thefood product.
 24. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a spicehatch that is configured to automatically deliver spices into the maincontainer during cooking.
 25. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising insulating layer in the main container that retains heat inthe main container and reduces energy consumption of the apparatus. 26.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured tomaintain a temperature inside the main container that is greater than100 degrees Celsius.
 27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motor isfurther configured to move the main container around to mix the foodproduct and liquid inside the main container.
 28. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the apparatus is an apparatus for sprouting the food product,the apparatus further comprising: a grow light attached to the maincontainer for providing light to the food product inside the maincontainer; an air circulator associated with the main container forcirculating air inside the main container; an agitator associated withthe main container for circulating the food product or the liquid in themain container; and a controller for controlling inflow and outflow ofliquid into the main container for maintaining moisture in the maincontainer to sprout the food product.
 29. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing computerinstructions executable by a computer processor, the computerinstructions comprising a recipe that specifies a temperature of themain container by providing the instructions to the controller, whereinthe controller is further configured for applying the instructions todetermine a desired temperature of the main container and forcontrolling the heater to heat the main container to a specifiedtemperature, the recipe further specifying a timing for delivering andremoving liquid to the main container and specifying one or more levelsof the liquid in the main container during food preparation.
 30. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured toautomatically run one or more cycles selected from a group consistingof: a sprouting cycle for sprouting of the food product, a rinsing cyclefor rinsing of the food product, a soaking cycle for soaking of the foodproduct, and a cleaning cycle for self-cleaning of the apparatus. 31.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors toproviding feedback to the controller regarding a liquid level and atemperature in the main container, the controller adjusting the liquidlevel in the main container based on readings from the sensors bycontrolling opening and closing of the inlet valve and the outlet valveto allow liquid to enter or be removed from the main container, thecontroller adjusting the temperature based on readings from the sensors.32. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or both of the liquid outletcontainer and liquid inlet container is a bladder for container liquid.33. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sum of a total volume of theliquid inlet container plus the liquid outlet container is smaller thana maximum volume of either of the liquid inlet or outlet containersalone.
 34. An automated method for preparing a food product in aportable apparatus, comprising: receiving the food product into the maincontainer of the portable apparatus having an inlet/outlet; receivingone or more settings input by a user; rotating the main container into areceiving position at which the main container is positioned to receiveliquid from a liquid inlet container opening an inlet valve connected tothe liquid inlet container for controllably providing a controlledamount of liquid into the main container with the food product; rotatingthe main container to a neutral position; applying heat to the foodproduct and liquid in the main container for preparing the food product;rotating the main container into a drainage position at which the maincontainer is positioned to drain liquid from the main container into aliquid inlet container; and draining the liquid from the main containerinto a liquid outlet container.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein thefood product received is dry beans.
 36. The method of claim 34, whereinthe method is a method for cooking the food product, and whereinapplying heat to the food product and the liquid further comprisesapplying heat for cooking the food product.
 37. The method of claim 34,wherein receiving one or more settings further comprises receivingsetting for at least two cycles selected from a group consisting of:food product sprouting cycle, food product rinsing cycle, food productsoaking cycle, food product cooking cycle, and apparatus self-cleaningcycle.
 38. The method of claim 37, further comprising automaticallystarting a new cycle selected from the group of cycles responsive tocompletion of a cycle.
 39. The method of claim 34, wherein receiving oneor more settings further comprises receiving settings for a soakingcycle and a cooking cycle for the food product, the soaking cyclefurther comprising the steps of: rotating the main container into thereceiving position; opening the inlet valve for providing liquid intothe main container with the food product; closing the inlet valve tostop inflow of the liquid into the main container; allowing the foodproduct to soak in the liquid for a specified time period; responsive toan end of the specified time period being reached, rotating the maincontainer into the drainage position to drain the liquid via gravityfrom the main container into the liquid outlet contain; and starting thecooking cycle responsive to an end of the soaking cycle.
 40. The methodof claim 34, wherein the method is a sprouting method, and wherein thecontrolled amount of liquid is an amount of liquid sufficient topartially cover the food product for sprouting, wherein applying heatfurther comprises applying heat needed to sprout the food product, andwherein the method further comprises occasionally opening the inletvalve to allow fresh liquid into the main container for continuedsprouting.
 41. The method of claim 34, further comprising: rotating themain container to a spice position; opening one or more spice hatchesassociated with the apparatus to release spices into the main containerfor seasoning the food product.
 42. The method of claim 34, wherein eachof the steps of the method except for the receiving steps are fullyautomated without requiring any input or interaction with a user.